Even after school was over and Chen Fan had left the classroom, Si Yinxia’s face was still buried in the books.
Chang Wen walked over to Si Yinxia and looked at Si Yinxia pitifully. She said quietly: “You have been at it for the entire afternoon already; why don’t you join me for supper and relax a bit.”
Si Yinxia finally put down the pen and rubbed his sore wrist. Chang Wen asked: “Chen Fan is back; did you see him?”
“Chen Fan?” Si Yinxia was taken aback and then shook his head, “So what? He is no longer my worthy opponent.”
“However, I do have to thank him for forcing me to take a long hard look at my meaningless and wasteful life before I met him.”
“Indeed.” Chang Wen nodded. Her eyes were filled with admiration. “Chen Fan’s strength came from a powerful friend of his; however, you are different. In ten or twenty years, you will be no less successful than Wei Ziqin.
“By then, people like Chen Fan could only be jealous of you.”
“Wei Ziqin? “Si Yinxia snorted, eyes glinting. “If not for her prestigious family name, she was no more than a girl of above average looks. In no more than twenty years, I will surpass the achievements of her father.”
Chang Wen stood quietly beside her beloved man and listened to his ambitious announcement with tears in her eyes.
Girls like her wouldn’t care about how ambitious he was; what really attracted her was his confidence.
Meanwhile, Chen Fan was on his way toward home. He couldn’t stop thinking about Si Yinxia’s incredible achievement.
To be able to stand out among hundreds of thousands of students in the province was not an easy task. It required talent and dedication.
In Chen Fan’s last life, he would have already lost the competition.
In ten or twenty years, Si Yinxia was going to become an executive manager of a foreign investment company while Chen Fan would fall from grace and become homeless in the Chu Zhou City. There would be no comparison between their lives.
“What a shame; he wouldn’t be able to beat me this time.” Chen Fan cracked a smile.
However bright Si Yinxia’s future was going to be, his vision was limited to the mortal world and so was his abilities.
The best he could have done was to become the provincial number one in the Gaokao. In twenty years, if he was lucky, he might be able to become the richest person in the province, but how about Chen Fan? What would he become in twenty years?
He would have already reached the Connate Spirit and soaring among the stars.
Therefore, Chen Fan marveled at Si Yinxia’s ability as a retired master would a kindergarten child who displayed exceptional talent. He examined everything from a much-elevated perspective as a human would to ants on the ground. The ants would never understand what their observer was thinking about.
Suddenly, he sensed someone behind him, and he paused.
He heard the clicking of a pair of women’s shoes on the ground.
“Are you looking for me?” Chen Fan asked.
The person behind him was Jiang Churan.
The clicking paused, “My mom wants you to join us for dinner tonight.”
“OK, thanks.” Chen Fan replied.
“Wait.” Jiang Churan shouted. “I want you to know that I am not Li Yichen’s girlfriend; I only went for a dinner with him.”
Chen Fan turned around and saw the stubborn expression on the girl’s face.
“It had been three months! You left so suddenly. Have you ever thought about how we feel?” Jiang Churan bit down her lips, trying to hold back the tears from pouring out.
Chen Fan said lightly, “We?”
“Yes, me and Fei-Fei.” Jiang Churan mustered more strength and said, “You had left without saying a word to Fei-Fei, do you know how sad she was?”
“I have only seen her as a normal friend.” Chen Fan siad.
“A normal friend?” Jiang Churan said in disbelief.
She fixed her eyes on Chen Fan and glared at him accusingly.
“Fei-Fei is too good for you! In these three months, not only did she keep on worrying about you, but she also needed to work as an actress in a TV show. The director is so impressed by Fei-Fei’s performance, that he is considering giving her the main character’s role.
“Both Si Yinxia and Chu Minhui were Fei-Fei’s pursuers. However, once she entered university and became a famous actress, even those two will not measure up to her success.
“You can rely on Wei Ziqin in Chu Zhou City, but once you are out of the city, what do you have to compete with Fei-Fei’s other pursuers?
“So, tell me, why don’t you cherish her feelings for you? I feel sad for Fei-Fei.”
Without waiting for an answer, Jiang Churan turned around and walked away, trailing behind a series of clickings.
Chen Fan stood still for a while, and a smile finally broke over his face.
“Someone actually missed me? Interesting!”
In the evening, Chen Fan arrived at Jiang Churan’s house. However, he was taken aback when he saw that the person who opened the door was Li Yichen.
“Welcome.” Li Yichen nodded. The smile on his face was so overwrought that it made Chen Fan feel that he was going to sell him a used car.
After Chen Fan entered the house, he noticed that Li Yichen was not the only person there. Zhang Yumeng, Yang Chao, Xu Rongfei were all in the room. The moment Xu Rongfei saw Chen Fan, she jumped out of her chair in elation.
“Xiao Fan, you are late.”Auntie Tang emerged from the kitchen. She rolled her eyes at Chen Fan and continued: “Ran-Ran, pour some tea for your friend, please?”
“OK.” Jiang Churan siad with a cold face.
She took out the tea sets and showed off her professional tea making skills to everyone.
Jiang Haishan sat on the sofa and shook his head when he saw Chen Fan walk in.
Chen Fan was going to sit in a corner; however, Xu Rongfei dragged him to a seat beside her. Displeasure flashed across Jiang Churan’s eyes, but she had kept her silence.
Jiang Haishan asked: “Xiao Chao, I have heard that your hotel is going to apply for the five-star status?”
Before Yang Chao could reply, Zhang Yumeng spoke up first: “Yes, Uncle Jiang. They had handed in their application a while ago. The province had also sent in a few inspectors.”
She batted her lashes and continued, “Uncle Jiang, you are well connected in the city, do you know anything about it?”
Hearing the question, nervousness appeared on Yang Chao’s face.
There was a huge difference between a four-star and a five-star hotel. There were only two five star hotels in the entire Chu Zhou City. Without the five star status, Tian Sheng hotel would have no chance in competing against the other three.
Once the application was approved, Yang Chao’s father Yang Yifan would gain even more prestige, and his assets would increase in value significantly.
Jiang Haishan put down the cup and paused a moment, letting the suspense hang in the air.
“Your father’s application had the city’s wholehearted support.
“What I heard was that the province had already given it the green light, and the approval should come down in no time.”
“Once the province had approved, the five-star status is secured.”
“Really?” Yang Chao smiled broadly. Zhang Yumeng nearly jumped out of her chair in excitement.
The success of her boyfriend’s family would bring her more faces in front of her friends. She would finally brag about her boyfriend.
Seeing everyone’s excitement, Jiang Haishan added: “Yang Chao, the leaders in the city, had spared no expense at promoting your father’s hotel. Li Yicheng’s father had personally pledged to promote your father’s application. After all, the addition of a new five-star hotel is beneficial to the local commerce.”
Yang Chao hurried to stand up and bowed to Li Yichen for his father’s assistance.
Li Yichen stood up and returned the bow with a warm smile.
Despite the seemingly equal status between the two, Yang Chao knew that he was beholden to Li Yichen.
Seeing Yang Chao had got his point without him saying it out loud, Jiang Haishan nodded approvingly.
He was pleased by his daughter’s friends capacity and family background. If they learned to help each other, they would be even more successful than their fathers.
He had particularly satisfied with Li Yichen and wished that he could see the boy and his daughter stay together. He heard that Li Yichen had invited his daughter for lunch today, which gave him even more hope.
So thinking, Jiang Haishan gave a disappointed look at Chen Fan and he shook his head.
“What a loser, he is not even on par with Yang Chao much less Li Yichen.
“How could I let my daughter fall for him?”